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Low-Carbon Condo (Sherbourne & Carlton, Options for Homes, 32s, ?)

AlbertC

AlbertC

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Email message I received from Options for Homes:


Thank you for your interest in our new low‐carbon condominium at Sherbourne and Carlton Streets inToronto!

The Low‐Carbon Condo will have one of the smallest carbon footprints of any condominium in North America. This is a carless condo! The 10 parking spots available will be reserved exclusively for an Options for Cars car sharing hub, and every owner in the condo receives a free membership with the purchase of their suite.

To be built by Deltera, the construction arm of Tridel, the Low‐Carbon Condo will showcase top quality construction along with its many green features including car sharing, solar hot water heating, heat recovery ventilation system, and garbage separation.
 
That's it? No parking spaces for owned cars, but for care share? Hope they don't use concrete in the building - due to the CO2 emissions.
 
gristle said:
That's it? No parking spaces for owned cars, but for care share? Hope they don't use concrete in the building - due to the CO2 emissions.
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"many green features including car sharing, solar hot water heating, heat recovery ventilation system, and garbage separation."


No, evidently that is not the only 'green' feature of this project.
 
I think it is a great idea.
Car share system is fundamentally different from car ownership in the sense that you won't rent the car for unnecessary or short drive (eg: drive to Walmart just to buy some tissue paper). The RCMI condo doesn't come with any private parking as well.

I hope we will move toward the "it is crazy to own a car" kind of culture like Manhattan has.
 
Is that location correct? I can't think of any vacant land at Sherbourne & Carlton but there is an empty lot at Sherbourne & Gerrard which ironically used to be a gas station.
 
Here's a view of the intersection:

sherbourneandcarlton.jpg


The only three empty properties I can see are the large parking lot between Bleecker and Sherbourne (apparently earmarked for social housing), a sliver of a thing just north of the corner on the west side (currently a parking lot with coach-house for one of the low-rises nearby), and a parking lot behind a church tucked away near the north-east corner. All three are marked in pink-red.

The yellow marked properties are ones that could stand renovation, new additions or major adaptive reuse. I wouldn't be surprised to see a few of the more decrepit ones get this treatment in the near future. Currently, the condition of the corner and area is quite shabby.
 
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New email from Options for Homes:


Public Meeting to Support Low Carbon Condo
At present, the Low Carbon Condo is a proposed 32-floor, 298-suite condominium at Sherbourne and Carlton. It will have one of the smallest carbon footprints of any condominium in North America with green features including solar hot water heating, heat recovery ventilation, garbage separation, and no parking spots for personal cars. This is a car-less condo! The 6-10 parking spots available will be reserved exclusively for a car sharing hub, and every owner in the condo will receive a free membership from Options for Cars with the purchase of their suite.
Once the Agreement of Purchase and Sale is signed, the plans need to be approved by the City of Toronto. The City will host a public meeting regarding the development and in order to minimize delays to the start of sales and the construction of your new home, we invite you to come out to show your support. Email Jessica at jspeziale@optionsforhomes.ca to indicate your interest in attending and whether or not you wish to speak at the meeting to voice your support. We will update you as to the exact date and time of the public meeting as it approaches.
 
Car free condo

Parkdalian said:
^Isn't this weird? It sounds like they are worried that their plans won't be approved. Is what they are proposing so controversial that they need this "low-carbon" spiel to get it through community consultations?
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The car free condo was the OFH plan for any downtown location. They were previously hoping to get a small parcel in the Regent Park redevelopment, but that didn't work out. The site itself is the church on the southeast corner. A couple of weeks ago the agreement to purchase was signed. Last I heard, (2 years ago) the church will remain at that address, at least in some form.
Parking
Anyone who believes that a car free condo, particularly downtown, will have sales problems, should take a look at the sales prices of condos with & without parking including the length of time they take to sell. In Toronto they turn out to be generally poor investments, unless you need to park a car anyways.
Parking regulations have skewed the market to produce a surplus that forces developers and future occupants to subsidize the real cost (capital- operating), let alone profit margins, that other aspects of condo infrastructure produce such as the unit itself.
City Planners have systematically opposed car free condos, even at a downtown subway stop. Tributes successful application got through with the help of a strong local Councillor, and because the narrow site made building a parking garage impractical. The heritage aspect vs. parking garage on University was also a plus.
I expect the city will oppose this projects lack of parking spaces, and the developer is likely promoting the low carbon concept in part to embarrass the city into approval, thereby removing an unnecessary financial burden on future residents (and environment).
As for the 32 story height and location, I would prefer around 20 stories for the location, even if that means I am even less likely to get in. There are 800 people on the waiting list who have put down money.
 
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It would be nice if the new mayor and council would reduce the minimum parking requirements and allow some buildings to be car free. The costs that the developer would save can be passed onto the condo buyers, or invested towards better architecture.
 
salsa said:
It would be nice if the new mayor and council would reduce the minimum parking requirements and allow some buildings to be car free. The costs that the developer would save can be passed onto the condo buyers, or invested towards better architecture.
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Ratios of 0.3 are being approved all the time. You can't lower requirements because a building will be on a transit line, when said transit line is already under-serviced and over-capacity. It is bad planning.

I don't think foreign investors want parking, and that's why it often doesn't sell. If people actually have to live in these condos one day... there will be a problem.
 
... investors rent out units, and the people renting happily pay big bucks to live without parking. Honestly, unless you commute out to the suburbs every day I don't see why you would need a car. Zipcar would more than easily work for the odd time you need to get to the suburbs.
 
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